Business leader to chair APEC CEO Summit committee

Barbara Chapman has been appointed chair of the CEO Summit Committee for APEC 2021, Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker announced today.

Barbara Chapman is a highly respected business leader, a past CEO of ASB Bank, a former chair of Oxfam New Zealand and is currently the chair of Genesis Energy. She has strong commercial skills, including in marketing and innovation, and is a champion for diversity.

“I am confident Barbara Chapman has a strong commitment to using the CEO Summit to showcase the best of New Zealand to an influential international business audience and to champion our APEC hosting within the domestic business community,” David Parker said.

The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit is the premier business event during the APEC host year, attracting influential business leaders from the region.

The summit will be held in Auckland 10-13 November 2021 during APEC Leaders’ Week.

The committee chair position is voluntary. Barbara Chapman’s term runs until 30 March 2022.

APEC 2021 will be the largest event ever hosted by the New Zealand Government and provides opportunities to deepen New Zealand business connections and advance policy interests in the Asia-Pacific region.

The 21 member APEC grouping is the region’s leading trade and economic forum.

Almost three quarters of New Zealand’s exports go to APEC members, while 70 per cent of our imports came from those economies.

It is home to 38 per cent of the world’s population and accounts for 47 per cent of the world’s trade.

Fourteen of our top 20 export markets are APEC members, including the three largest economies in the world – the United States, China and Japan.

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